Another big traffic inconvenience is hitting the Akron area.
The Ohio Department of Transportation says state Route 18, also known as Medina Road, will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Hametown Road and Medina Line Road beginning Sept. 6.
The reduction will remain in place through late October as workers replace a bridge.
Copley Township Police Chief Michael Mier said he expects the lane closures to create significant congestion on the road.
About 23,000 motorists a day use that four-lane stretch, which serves as an important route between Akron and Medina, and interstates 77 and 71.
The traffic is even heavier near the I-77 interchange.
The road, which divides between Bath and Copley townships, crosses a creek, even though there doesn’t appear from the roadway to be a bridge there, ODOT said.
Motorists in that area already have been dealing with heavy construction, as the state continues to widen the roadway east of Hametown.
“It has caused problems but it’s all part of the process of working on the roads,” Mier said.
The bridge work is part of the larger $7.7 million project to widen and resurface the road.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.